Many homes in Nashville absolutely rely on their race or their air conditioners. This means these units will regularly need maintenance and the occasional repair. For the people out there who are passionate about DIY work, whether they are looking for money saving solutions or they like to try out new challenges, it can be tempting to take on the maintenance of your AC yourself.
While there are a few tasks that individuals can do, the majority of AC work should be left entirely to professionals. This is the best way to protect your air conditioner, your finances, and yourself.
Preventative Maintenance You Can Perform on Your AC
Preventative maintenance steps can be helpful to learn how to do on your own. They are generally straightforward enough to manage as long as you are comfortable, and DIY work can provide cost savings and help you reduce the risk of problems that would require a professional visit for repairs. These steps include:
- Replacing the Air Filter – Part of the reason to do this step yourself is that it should be performed once a month throughout the summer. This keeps the filter clean and air flowing freely.
- Inspecting the Evaporator Coil – This coil is on the exterior of your air conditioner and you can look at it for any signs of freezing, leakage, or corrosion, as these can indicate a problem. If you notice any of these issues, call a professional for repair.
- Checking the Condensate Drain – You can check the condensate drain yourself to see if there are any leaks or overflows that would require a professional to repair.
It can be helpful to know how to fix these problems yourself and gain a better understanding of how your air conditioner works, but these tasks are also included in regular servicing if you prefer to have a professional look at the issue instead.
AC Repairs that Need a Professional
Beyond the tasks mentioned above, all other maintenance, repair, and installation work should only ever be performed by a professional HVAC technician. This is because your air conditioner is a precision machine, combining an array of different moving parts, electronics, and numerous other components. It is a must to have each of these pieces working correctly and together for your AC to provide safe and efficient cooling.
Trying to DIY AC repairs can be dangerous if you are not familiar with it electric repairs or make a mistake with one of the moving parts. In some instances, these repairs are not allowed, such as when dealing with refrigerant that needs to be handled and disposed of properly. Additionally, any mistake made while trying to maintain your own AC will almost always cost far more in repairs than a professional AC maintenance visit would have.
These are all the tasks that professional maintenance can perform safely and effectively:
- Full inspection of the interior and exterior elements.
- Checking the condenser and evaporator coils.
- Replacing worn parts.
- Lubricating parts in good condition.
- Checking the refrigerant level.
- Testing capacitors.
- Checking wiring and electrical connections.
- Calibrating the thermostat.
- Testing the system.
- Calculating the supply/return temperature differential.
- Calculating the amperage and voltage on the blower motor.
These steps are numerous and missing one could mean the difference between a fully functional AC and one in need of repairs. Regular AC maintenance each year handles all of these different tasks, meaning that with almost no effort on your part, you can ensure effective and long lasting functionality for your air conditioner.
Lewis Comfort Control is an experienced HVAC maintenance technician in Nashville that offers our multi-point inspection at an affordable cost. We take care of all of your AC maintenance needs reliably. We can also go over the preventative maintenance steps you can do on your own, answering any questions you may have and showing the procedure for some of the simpler steps. Contact Lewis Comfort Control today to get started.